Hero
by Br0kenW1ngs
Summary: All she wanted to be was a hero. And now that her brave deeds have been done...why is she stuck feeling so lost and broken? And more importantly, what will be the consequences of not asking for help? R&R *Rumpelstiltskin/Belle*
1. Chapter 1: Broken

_Hero_

_Chapter 1: Broken_

_By Br0kenW1ngs_

_Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT. This is however my own story and a mix of my own life and Belle._

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No one understood her. Not like how she wished they would. She was alone, praying every night for this wicked depression to end. She didn't understand why. Why did it have to be her? She just wanted to be the hero. To do something brave, and get bravery to follow (any maybe get rid of that invisible plague). But even with her brave acts, no one truly sees how fake her beautiful smiles have become. How the blue of her eyes has faded and left her looking something a kin to a zombie. Rumpel has changed, but she doubts he notices her withering life. He always seems so busy with his shop and everybody comes to him for help…she doesn't want to get in the way.

"Belle," Rumpelstiltskin's deep voice tickled her ears, but she didn't smile like she used to when he called her name. It didn't feel like it held any meaning anymore, "I've finished my work. How about we head home?" He smiled, and like always, she smiled back finally. Belle felt miserable. Her legs felt heavy and her heart sank as she rose to walk towards him. Rumpel outstretched his hand towards the petite girl. His eyes overlooked her quickly and for a moment, a frown dawned his face.

"_She hasn't been eating…_" He thought as her now oddly thinner fingers interlocked with his. He could feel the bones in-between his fingers. For a moment, Rumpel feared that he would break her fingers if he held too tightly.

Exiting the shop, Belle breathed in a deep breath of fresh air before coughing lightly. It seemed like it was harder to breath lately for the frail girl. Her breathing became uneven and leaned against Rumpel for support in order to catch her breath.

"Are you alright?" He turned and placed his hands upon her shoulders, holding the red haired girl steady so she wouldn't fall over. Finally, her breathing steadied and she nodded slowly, smiling a tiny grin. Rumpel didn't look convinced for a second, but noticed that wind was picking up. Now was not the time to question her health. Locking the door to the shop, he wrapped his arm around his girlfriend's waist and half-carried Belle back home.

Once there, they both went their separate ways. Belle to the bathroom and Rumpel to the kitchen.

"Are you hungry?" He shouted softly as he entered the kitchen while Belle ascended the stairs.

"Not really. Maybe after a shower!" Belle yelled back, continuing her voyage up the stairs. Rumpel frowned and decided to cook her something anyways. Something nice and warm…

Upstairs, Belle had made her way into the bathroom, intending to take a hot shower. But as the door closed, her mind began to wander. She started to feel even more depressed, breaching the edge of being suicidal. Belle's breathing became uneven and she rushed to open the bathroom cabinet. Tears poured from her eyes as she reached in and pulled out an old kitchen knife. She bought it at the convenience store a couple months ago, so she wouldn't raise suspicion from Rumpel (which surprisingly, he has not asked about it. She knows that he normally knows everything that goes on in the town). Unbuttoning and pushing down her pants, Belle fell to the floor loudly.

Downstairs, Rumpel heard the thud and paused for a moment.

"Belle?" He called out, but received no reply. Putting down the spatula he had been using and turning off the stove, Rumpel left the kitchen and climbed the staircase.

Belle used one hand to hold her thigh steady and with a quick swish of the knife, blood was drawn. One…two…three more marks joined what seemed like hundreds on her thighs. The couple hadn't had any sex for a couple months… so Rumpel never saw the scars. She would cut whenever she would shower, so the blood would be washed down the drain.

Rumpelstiltskin knocked on the bathroom door, startling Belle and almost causing her to drop the knife.

"Belle, is everything okay in there?" The worry was clear in his voice.

Taking a deep breath, Belle replied as steady as she could, "Yes I'm alright. Just dropped bottle of shampoo." Rumpel frowned, knowing that the shower hasn't even been turned on since they got home. By accident, Belle let out a sniffle, setting off alarms in Rumpel's head. Moving his hand to the doorknob, he tried to open the bathroom door, but found it to be locked.

"Belle! Open this door!" But she didn't answer. He could hear stumbling in the bathroom and the slamming of the cabinet door. Using his powers, he all but melted the door handle off and swung the door open. He was about to storm in there and demand who hurt Belle, but what he saw made him freeze. There she was…here pants around her knees as she struggled to remain standing. Blood slithered down her thigh and onto her blue denim jeans. Rumpel could see the past cuts and scars. Tears painted her pale, thin cheeks. Belle looked so broken…When did this happen?

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_I'm not sure how long I want to make this story. Please review! :) Thank you for reading._


	2. Chapter 2: Alive

_Hero_

_Chapter 2: Alive_

_By: Br0kenW1ngs_

_Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT._

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Belle's heart broke even more when she saw the pained expression on Rumpelstiltskin's face. His brown eyebrows were slanted upwards and his lips were partly open, as if he were going to say something. Thoughts rushed to the red-haired girl's mind, causing her to become disoriented.

"_What will he think now? How am I suppose to explain this?_" Belle kept asking herself over and over again until the room started to spin and she reached her hands up and grasped her head.

"Belle…why?" Rumpel didn't move quite yet, but as soon as the young woman started to fall forward, he kept forward and caught her like a prince catches a princess. Had this been any other situation, Rumpel would've been dazzled by Belle's stunning glow that she seemed to always have. However, fear flowed through his heart and into the pit of his stomach and he picked her up and decided to do the only thing he thought of at the moment. _Hospital_. If you asked him what had happened during the time he caught Belle to the moment he ran through the doors of the hospital, screaming for help…he wouldn't be able to reply. All that was on his mind was saving his darling Belle.

Dr. Frankenstein and some nurses took the pale girl on a stretcher into the a door that Rumpel didn't recognize. He made a move to follow, but a few nurses held him back, saying that they would take it from here.

"No! I need to be with Belle!" He struggled to get past the nurses, and one of them was almost included to let him follow out of fear, but she and the others just pushed him back further.

"We can handle it from here. You'll only be in the way." Rumpelstiltskin froze, picturing Belle dying on that stretcher while he stood here arguing with the people that were suppose to be saving her.

"…Alright…" he mumbled. The nurses all took a deep breath, glad that they didn't have to face the wrath of the Dark One. One of them, a young girl with short blonde hair, escorted him to the waiting area. Normally, only family would've been allowed to see the patient after whatever procedure had been done, but she was in no rush to argue with the once menacing man.

Rumpelstiltskin sat in one of the uncomfortable wooden and cloth chairs that had been near the door to the hallway. Across from him sat a table with many magazines on it. For a moment, he was inclined to reach out for one, anything to get his mind off of his suffering love. But he did not. Intertwining his fingers, Rumpel leaned forward, placing his hands against his forehead.

"Please Belle," he muttered, tears forming in his eyes. Other than Belfaire, who barely looked at Rumpel as his father, Belle was all Rumpelstiltskin had. And he loved her with every piece of his evil, twisted heart.

"Please…"he repeated, "Be okay…"

Inside in room Belle had been rolled into, Dr. Frankenstein dashed around as quickly as he could, putting bandages over her cuts and making sure the nurse had properly inserted the IV. For a second, he paused. Sadness entered his heart and made it cringe in agony. This poor girl…how could this have happened? She seemed so happy… After a few minutes of the fluid flowing through her veins, color started to return to the princess's face. Belle slowly opened her eyes and frowned as she realized where she was. Frightened, Belle moved to sit up, but Dr. Frankenstein held her down.

"No, you need to stay laying down!" He ordered, afraid that the girl would accidentally rip out her IV.

"Where's Rumpel?" Belle cried, covering her face with her the other hand that wasn't connected to the arm with the IV.

"He's right in the waiting room, but I don't think it's such a good idea for you to see him right away. We still need to go over the rest of your body for injuries and weigh you and draw some blood for analysis." Belle didn't understand why so much had to be done. Dr. Frankenstein saw the cut on her thighs…wasn't that enough. Tears flowed down her cheeks but Belle did what she was told and laid back down. The doctor sighed and exited the room.

Belle cried for what seemed like forever. Questions and assumptions flowed in and out of her fragile mind until she couldn't take the stress anymore and fainted. _Why did I let this get so bad? What will Rumpel think? He'll hate me. He'll leave. Why am I so sad…? _

Back in the waiting area, Dr. Frankenstein entered, causing Rumpel to jump up and practically run over to him.

"How is she? She's alive right? Please tell me she's okay!" Rumpelstiltskin pleaded. Dr. Frankenstein was frozen for a brief moment. He had never seen such worry inside Rumpel's eyes.

"She's alive, but has endured an immense amount of psychological stress. I don't know what caused it, but right off the bat you can tell that she hasn't been eating, that she hasn't been sleeping properly. There are bags under her eyes, but she's covered them up with makeup. How did things get so bad?" He asked worried. Rumpel asked himself this a hundred times in the time he had sitting in that damn uncomfortable chair.

"I don't know…maybe I've just accidentally ignored her when I was working…" He whispered, his voice dying from the agony he felt in his stomach and chest.

Nodding, Dr. Frankenstein continued, "Well in any case, she will need to talk to someone, maybe counseling. If she has undergone excessive weight loss, this can cause her many other problems. This cannot continue. She can develop lung problems, weak bones, heart disease. She can't continue suffering like this." Rumpel nodded, feeling a new spark of determination to help his sweet Belle recover.

"I'll do whatever I can," The Dark One stated firmly, looking the doctor dead in the eyes. Dr. Frankenstein nodded as well."

"First off, I need to run a few tests to make sure that she hasn't developed any other problems that could develop from her lack of eating and from the cuts. She may have an infection, which we can help get rid of as well. It doesn't appear to be one, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Let me show you to her," Frankenstein gestured for Rumpel to follow him. Both exited the waiting area and made a few turns down some hallways before coming to the room Belle was being kept in. There was a window in the door, and Rumple glanced in. There laid his princess, his life. And there was something that dawned upon him. _How will I save her? How CAN I save her…? _There was something that he knew Belle probably didn't think of when she started this downward spiral: How could she break his heart like this? She was one of the most important people in his life. Hell, she was his life. He would never be able to recover if she died.

"_I love you Belle. And I will save you._" That was the last thought Rumpel had as he entered the room where the frail redhead was passed out, unknowingly calming ever muscle in Rumpel's body.

_She's alive..._

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_YEAH so I just realized that I classified Belle as a redhead...even though I know she's a brunette. I feel like her hair has a red tone, so please go with it :3_

_Thank you for reading! Please Review! :D_


	3. Chapter 3: Loss

_Hero_

_Chapter 3: Loss_

_By: Br0kenW1ngs_

_Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT. __This is however my own story and a mix of my own life and Belle._

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While Belle slept, she dreamed of her Dark One. The way his hair sometimes curled if he didn't style it, or the way he would have wrinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled at her. It seemed like forever since she felt so happy to be with him. The redhead had to stop and wonder: why was she so sad now?

After what felt like an hour of just being with Rumpel in her dreams, everything started to morph. His skin turned crusty and his smile became sinister. Belle took a step backwards, and tripped over her own feet. She fell into what felt like a puddle. However, when she looked down to see where she had fallen, Belle screamed. The beautiful princess was sitting in a pool of blood. The deep crimson tainted her hands and clothes. All of a sudden, rain began to pour. The girl couldn't make any sense of what was happening. Gazing back up at Rumpel, Belle gasped as she saw that he was gone, and that it wasn't rain that fell from the blackened sky. _Blood_.

"Belle!" The long-haired girl leapt up from her position on the hospital bed. Leaning over her, Rumpel had his hands on her shoulders, attempting to awaken her. His eyes were filled with worry, and it took a moment for Belle to come to her senses. This wasn't the same man she had just dreamed of. Before her was the man she fell in love with. Yet, her heart still twisted with fear as she began to hyperventilate. _Why am I so scared? _Rumpelstiltskin was so lost, not familiar with how to comfort people who had nightmares. So he did the only thing her knew to do. Wrapping his arms around Belle's ridiculously petite form, he held her close, hoping to sooth the storm.

"What…?" The feeling felt so foreign-being held by Rumpel- and yet, it made the tremors stop and her breathing even.

"You had a nightmare. It was just a nightmare, sweetheart," Rumpel whispered delicately. He lifted his hand and petted her hair gently, attempting to assuage the girl of her fears. Belle nodded, but refused to move from her position. She felt safe, warm, with Rumpel holding her. The image in her mind faded and was replaced with the more tender, warmhearted man that was saving her now.

"It was raining blood…" was all that she could mumble before Dr. Frankenstein entered to room.

"What's going on?" He demanded, completely clueless to what had just transpired. Despite his flirting demeanor some days, the doctor was very protective of his patients, especially his friends.

"I just had a nightmare," Belle began, "Nothing to worry about." Rumpel gave the doctor a cold look, but Frankenstein could see that worry was swimming around the Dark One's brown eyes. Nodding, Frankenstein moved closer to the bed.

"Are you feeling well enough to stand?" Belle nodded, not feeling like speaking anymore. This made Rumpelstiltskin worry even more. It's not normal for Belle to not use her voice. It was a beautiful voice. His eyebrows furrowed, but he didn't say anything as well.

"Then we need to check your weight and take some blood," Frankenstein continued. Belle found it odd seeing him in doctor mode, but it just made her feel all the more safe.

"I'll help you," Rumpel grabbed her arms gently and guided her off the bed. It wasn't until her bare feet hit the cold floor that Belle realized she was in one of those bright yellow hospital gowns. Her underwear was still on, but it made her uncomfortable to walk around without pants. However, she didn't say anything. She didn't want to be a burden and cause a ruckus.

Leading his patient and Rumpel out of the hospital room, Dr. Frankenstein guided the two down the hall, towards another room that had a scale and a machine that could take blood pressure. Belle nervously let go of Rumpel, but managed to stand on her own.

Stepping on to the scale, the broken princess breathed deeply and watched the numbers go crazy before a determination was mad. "My god..." Frankenstein murmured, quickly writing something down. Belle's heart stopped, as well as Rumpel's. _97 pounds..._ Tears streamed down Belle's face as she lost her balance, falling to the floor. Rumpel leapt forward and caught her mid-fall.

"Belle, hun...when was the last time you ate?" Frankenstein had developed a serious, stern look as he looked at the two. She lost almost 40 pounds! Belle's breathing became irregular and she felt light headed. _When was the last time I ate? I can't even remember. How could I lose so much weight? It feels like it's been forever since I last ate._ Rumpelstiltskin rocked her gently to try to calm the girl down, but in his own mind, he was beating himself up, "_How could I not notice? What kind of boyfriend am I? I'm horrible. Oh Belle..._

"How could you let her become this underweight?!" Frankenstein yelled, staring accusingly at the older man. "I didn't let her!" Rumpel shot back; however, he blamed himself completely. Belle continued to cry as the two men glared at one another.

"Do you realize how much danger you could be in, Belle?" Frankenstein continued aggressively. If the Dark One hadn't been holding his love, he would punched the doctor in the face for using such a tone. Belle shook her head quickly, frightened that she would be yelled at more or rejected.

"Don't talk to her like that!" The older man bellowed, pulling the redhead tighter against himself. He didn't wait for the doctor to say anything else. Scooping up Belle, Rumpelstiltskin carried her out of the room, heading back towards Belle's hospital room. Once there, he entered and sat the princess on the white bed.

"Sweetheart, please," Rumpel began in a heartbroken mumble, "What's happening to you?" All the happiness, the bubbliness, the bravery, the heroism...it was all almost completely gone. Disappearing into the depression that plagued the young woman.

"I just don't know..." Belled wept softly, covering her beautiful face with her skinny hands. Sighing, Rumpel couldn't bring himself to question the girl further. Belle was so broken...he needed to fix her. He needed her, more than anything.

"I don't know what I would do if I lost you..." His own tears began to flow. Belle could hear them as the brown haired man spoke. Removing her hands from her face, Belle's lip trembled as she looked at her beast's face. It broke her heart even more, realizing how much pain she could've caused her beloved. Moving forward, the blue-eyed girl wrapped her arms around Rumpel's neck and the two just cried...Cried for each other, cried for what they hoped would never happen...and cried for the loss the both knew that Belle had endured. Could they ever get it back?

_Will this ever be fixed?_

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_Will Belle ever return to the once beautiful and brave young woman we all know and love? Thank you for reading ^_^ Please Review! _


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